Category Archives: NEW CARS

NEW CARS

Renault Filante: A Shooting Star Aimed Beyond Europe

Renault is dusting off one of its most evocative names—and aiming it well beyond its usual orbit. The French brand will soon reveal a new flagship crossover called Filante, a high-end, range-topping model designed not for Europe, but for the global markets where Renault believes the real money will be made over the next decade.

The name Filante, French for “shooting star,” is more than just poetic flair. It signals Renault’s intent to go big, bold, and premium as it retools its international lineup. When the covers come off next Tuesday, January 13, Filante will stand as the most exclusive vehicle in Renault’s global portfolio—and a clear statement that the brand wants a larger slice of the high-margin SUV pie outside its home turf.

A Global Flagship, Not a European One

If you’re reading this from London or Paris, don’t get your hopes up. Filante isn’t coming to the UK, and it’s not aimed at Europe at all. Instead, it’s a cornerstone of Renault’s “international game plan,” a strategy unveiled in 2023 by CEO Fabrice Cambolive that commits roughly £2.6 billion to launching eight new models outside Europe by 2027. The goal, as Renault bluntly put it, is to “position the brand in the segments creating most value.”

Translation: bigger cars, higher prices, and customers who still want roomy crossovers with a premium sheen.

Filante will be the fifth of those eight models—and the halo car of the bunch. Renault describes it as an E-segment vehicle, meaning it will sit above anything currently sold by the brand in Europe. Expect a footprint of roughly five meters in length, placing it firmly in the full-size crossover category, where presence matters almost as much as spec sheets.

Built in Busan, with Help from Geely

Production will take place at Renault’s plant in Busan, South Korea, initially for the local market before exports begin to other regions. Filante will share the production line—and much of its DNA—with the third-generation Renault Koleos, but don’t mistake this for a simple badge-and-trim exercise.

Under the skin, Filante is expected to ride on a Geely-developed platform and use a shared hybrid powertrain, reflecting Renault’s expanding strategic partnership with the Chinese automotive giant. It’s a pragmatic move: Geely’s architectures are modern, flexible, and already engineered for the kind of electrified drivetrains global regulations increasingly demand.

For Renault, it’s also a way to scale up quickly without reinventing the wheel—or the battery pack.

A Name with History (and Ambition)

The Filante name isn’t new, and Renault knows exactly what it’s doing by reviving it. Most recently, it was attached to a radical, aerodynamic concept car that reportedly covered 626 miles on a single charge at motorway speeds, using an 87-kWh battery borrowed from the Scenic E-Tech. That concept, in turn, drew inspiration from the original Renault Filante of 1956, a single-seat, record-chasing machine built with one purpose: efficiency through extreme design.

No one expects the production Filante crossover to look like a jet-powered teardrop, but the name carries connotations Renault is keen to exploit—speed, distance, and a sense of effortless motion.

According to Renault naming manager Sylvia dos Santos, Filante “instantly alludes to shooting stars, outer space and journeys,” adding that these themes “beautifully reflect our vehicle’s stately design.” That choice of words—stately—is telling. This won’t be a sporty hot rod; it’s a long-distance cruiser meant to project calm authority and premium confidence.

Renault, Aiming Higher

Filante represents a quiet but significant shift for Renault. In Europe, the brand has leaned into compact EVs, value-focused hybrids, and retro-inspired charm. Outside Europe, the gloves come off. Here, Renault wants size, luxury, and the kind of perceived prestige that allows for healthier margins.

Whether Filante can deliver on that ambition remains to be seen, but on paper, the ingredients are there: a large footprint, shared high-tech underpinnings, electrified power, and a name that carries both heritage and aspiration.

Renault isn’t just chasing shooting stars—it’s betting that, in the right markets, this one will land squarely on target.

Source: Renault

NEW CARS

Mercedes-AMG Refreshes the GLE 53 Ahead of a Critical 2027 Showdown

Mercedes-Benz is in the middle of a creative changing of the guard. Longtime design chief Gorden Wagener—arguably the single most influential stylist the brand has had in the modern era—has announced he’s stepping down after nearly three decades. His fingerprints, however, aren’t coming off the sheetmetal anytime soon. One of the next reminders arrives with the refreshed Mercedes-AMG GLE 53, due in 2026 as a 2027 model-year SUV.

If this feels like déjà vu, that’s because it kind of is. The fourth-generation GLE dates back to 2018, with the AMG 53 performance variant following a year later. It already received a mid-cycle refresh for 2023, but in today’s hyper-competitive luxury-SUV arms race, “recently updated” ages about as well as last year’s smartphone. Mercedes knows it needs to keep pace—not just within its own lineup, but against an oncoming wave of newer, sharper rivals.

So yes, the GLE is getting another facelift. And no, Mercedes isn’t pretending it’s anything more than that.

The most obvious change will be the lighting signature. By the time this refreshed GLE hits the road in fall 2027, Mercedes’ star-shaped daytime running lights will be everywhere. What began as a clever design flourish on the rear of the E-Class has quickly turned into a full-blown brand identifier, now spreading to both ends of facelifted models across the lineup—including AMG variants. Think of it as Stuttgart’s answer to BMW’s angel eyes, only more literal.

Between those new starry DRLs sits a revised grille that’s expected to do what modern luxury grilles do best: get bigger. While camouflage hides the final details for now, the word is that the new opening will be noticeably larger than the current GLE’s and may borrow cues from the recently revealed electric GLC with EQ Technology. If that’s the case, expect a more upright, more assertive face—one that leans harder into presence than subtlety.

Notably, the updated grille will finally wear a proper frame. The current GLE, AMG or otherwise, goes frameless up front, which has always felt a little unfinished in a segment obsessed with visual gravitas. This change alone could significantly alter how substantial the GLE looks in your rearview mirror.

There will be the usual facelift fare as well: revised bumpers, fresh wheel designs, and small detail tweaks meant to distract from the fact that the underlying sheetmetal is unchanged. That’s the nature of a mid-cycle update—especially one layered on top of an earlier refresh. Mercedes isn’t rewriting the GLE’s design story here; it’s just editing for relevance.

Under the hood, don’t expect reinvention either. The AMG GLE 53 will almost certainly carry over its mild-hybrid 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six. In current form, the setup makes 429 horsepower (435 metric), delivered with the smooth, muscular character AMG has largely perfected in this configuration. That said, history suggests the engineers in Affalterbach won’t be able to resist squeezing out a few extra ponies before the 2026 debut. Whether that comes from revised software, mild hardware tweaks, or a more aggressive hybrid assist remains to be seen—but incremental gains are all but guaranteed.

And incremental might not be enough.

The real pressure isn’t coming from within Mercedes’ own lineup; it’s coming from Munich. BMW’s next-generation X5, internal code G65, is scheduled to launch in 2026 as a 2027 model-year vehicle—the same timing as the refreshed GLE. Unlike Mercedes, BMW is starting fresh. The new X5 will usher in the brand’s Neue Klasse design language, and an M60 performance variant is already in the pipeline.

Translation: newer platform, bolder styling, and a clear performance halo.

Against that backdrop, the GLE’s age becomes harder to hide, no matter how clever the lighting graphics or how large the grille grows. Mercedes will need every visual trick—and every extra horsepower—to keep the AMG GLE 53 from looking like yesterday’s news parked next to BMW’s all-new contender.

Still, there’s something to be said for maturity. The GLE remains a known quantity: comfortable, quick, and unmistakably premium, with AMG’s inline-six offering real-world performance that feels more usable than headline-grabbing specs suggest. This refresh isn’t about stealing the spotlight—it’s about staying in the conversation.

And in a segment where loyalty runs deep and design sells almost as much as performance, that might be enough to carry Mercedes-AMG through the next round of the luxury-SUV heavyweight bout.

Photos: SH Proshots

NEW CARS

Leapmotor D99 Signals China’s Next Electric Minivan Arms Race

Leapmotor has spent the past decade quietly sharpening its tools, and for its 10th anniversary the Stellantis-backed Chinese brand rolled out something big—literally. Meet the Leapmotor D99, the company’s first electric minivan and a clear signal that China’s MPV segment is no longer just about luxury sofas on wheels, but about battery bragging rights.

The D99 lands in familiar company. Rivals like the Xpeng X9, Zeekr 009, and Li Auto Mega have already turned the once-humble minivan into a rolling tech lounge. Leapmotor’s twist? Offering both a full battery-electric version and a range-extender variant that flexes some of the largest battery packs the segment has seen.

Visually, the D99 sticks to Leapmotor’s established design language. The nose is almost comically short, with the windshield pushed far forward past the front axle—a layout that should translate to excellent outward visibility and maximum cabin volume. Smooth surfacing dominates the profile, broken up by retractable door handles (still legal for now in China) and blacked-out B- and C-pillars that create a floating-roof effect.

At the rear, a full-width LED light bar gives the D99 a suitably futuristic send-off. It’s clean, inoffensive, and very much in line with what Chinese buyers currently favor—less statement piece, more high-end appliance.

Where the D99 really starts swinging elbows is underneath. The range-extender version rides on an 800-volt architecture and packs an enormous 80.3-kWh battery. That’s not just large for a plug-in hybrid—it’s the largest battery currently offered in any range-extender vehicle. For context, Zeekr’s 9X EREV tops out at 70 kWh, while the upcoming range-extended Xpeng X9 settles for 63.3.

Leapmotor claims the D99 EREV can cover up to 500 kilometers (311 miles) on electric power alone before the combustion engine needs to wake up. While engine details haven’t been officially confirmed, expectations point to a familiar 1.5-liter four-cylinder similar to the unit used in the C10 REEV.

If that still sounds too compromised, the fully electric D99 removes the engine entirely and turns the voltage dial even higher. Its 1000-volt platform supports a massive 115-kWh CATL battery, good for a claimed 720 kilometers (447 miles) of range. That puts it squarely in long-distance territory and suggests ultra-fast charging capability to match—details Leapmotor hasn’t yet shared but almost certainly will.

Interior photos remain under wraps, but expectations are easy to set. Leapmotor’s recent models lean heavily on expansive screens, plush seating, and an emphasis on rear-seat comfort. This is a minivan designed less for hands-on drivers and more for executives, families, or VIP passengers who expect to recline while someone—or something—else handles the steering.

Pricing and market availability are still unknown, though more information is promised in the coming weeks. Whether the D99 ever ventures beyond China remains to be seen, but its spec sheet alone makes one thing clear: the electric minivan is no longer a niche experiment. It’s a battleground—and Leapmotor just showed up with one of the biggest batteries in the room.

Source: Leapmotor